Alzheimer's disease (AD), marked by cognitive impairment, predominantly affects the brain regions regulated by cholinergic innervation, such as the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Cholinergic dysfunction, a key contributor to age-related cognitive decline, has spurred investigations into potential therapeutic interventions. We have previously shown that choline alphoscerate (α-GPC), a cholinergic neurotransmission-enhancing agent, protects from Aβ-mediated neurotoxicity. Herein, we investigated the effects of α-GPC on the microglial phenotype in response to Aβ via modulation of the nicotinic alpha-7 acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR). BV2 microglial cells were pre-treated for 1 h with α-GPC and were treated for 24, 48, and 72 h with Aβ1-42 and/or α-BTX, a selective α7nAchR antagonist. Fluorescent immunocytochemistry and Western blot analysis showed that α-GPC was able to antagonize Aβ-induced inflammatory effects. Of note, α-GPC exerted its anti-inflammatory effect by directly activating the α7nAChR receptor, as suggested by the induction of an increase in [Ca2+]i and Ach-like currents. Considering that cholinergic transmission appears crucial in regulating the inflammatory profiles of glial cells, its modulation emerges as a potential pharmaco-therapeutic target to improve outcomes in inflammatory neurodegenerative disorders, such as AD.
Keywords: acetylcholine; cholinergic transmission; inflammatory response; microglia.